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Ficus branches will not hold position after wiring?
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Question: "I have a Ficus tree and despite wiring it the branches seem to pop back up into their original position after a few weeks. Is there anything to do to keep branches in their proper position?" Comments:
Many Ficus seem to be resistant to wiring and bounce back after the wire is removed. There are several ways to help hold branches in position. 1. Be persistant and wire branches two or even three times if necessary. They can and do hold position eventually. 2. Never removed wire by unwinding it. Sometimes just the minor movement of unwinding wire will break the new wood that has formed since the wire was applied. This new wood is the only thing holding the branch in position. Rough unwinding of the old wire will break the new wood and the branch will not hold its position. 3. Allow the wire to remain on longer and even permit some wire "indentation" of the branch. The indentation is minor and with a year or two of new growth the indentation will be gone. Never leave the wire on long enough to produce deep scars as this will hold the branch but the scars will remain for many, many years. With some experience you can tell when wire must come off. 4. For resistant and large branches use a fine saw to cut about 1/2 to 2/3 way through the branch from the bottom side and wire the branch into position. Allow the wire to stay on for its full time and then remove. The branch will stay down due to the new wood formed in the branch during the wiring time as well as the scar created by the saw cut. The scar from the cut will be visible for a few years but will blend into the bark with time. Good luck with your Ficus wiring! |
